Removable insulated pipe jacket

ABSTRACT

A prefabricated insulated pipe jacket comprising two interlocking semicircular sections, with each section consisting of a stainless steel exterior overlay cover, an inner body of insulation and an interior protective sheet, the overlay cover and interior protective sheet being secured together to either side of the insulation by a series of spaced retaining members carried by a connector strip providing a semi-closure for the insulation while maintaining a minimum heat transfer attachment between the cover and inner protective sheet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide aprefabricated, readily assembled, easily removable insulated pipejacket. The jacket will comprise a pair of mating semicircular sectionswith each section consisting of an exterior overlay cover having exposedhandles for convenient handling, an insulated panel, and an interiorprotective sheet. To connect the overlay cover to the interiorprotective sheet while restraining compression of the insulated panelbetween, there is provided a connector strip which extends along eachmarginal edge of the insulated panel. The strip provides retainingmembers in the form of spaced flanges having their free ends bentperpendicular to their normal plane so as to provide attaching tabs,with the flanges embracing the exposed edges of the insulated panel,while the strip and tabs allow permanent attachment to the confrontingsurfaces of the overlay cover and interior protective sheetrespectively. This construction permits a minimum heat transferconnection between the exterior cover and the interior protective sheet.In some instances, to prevent any heat transfer all edges of therestrained insulated panel may be covered with a heat resistant foil.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention andin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a completed assembled insulated pipejacket;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one section of the insulated pipejacket;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the insulated pipejacket;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the retaining means utilizedin this invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a fully assembled insulated pipejacket 10 consisting of two semicircular sections 11 and 12. Each of thesections is of similar construction and thus only one section will bedescribed. Such section is shown in its prefabricated assembled form inFIG. 2.

The insulated jacket 10 of FIG. 1 is shown as providing handles 13 forconvenient handling of the jacket sections during their assembly aboutthe pipe to be insulated. Each of the sections 11 and 12 is provided,respectively, with spring latch type snap fasteners 14 carried adjacentto one longitudinal edge 15 of the section, while the other section 12of the jacket provides latch plates 16 to cooperate with the springlatches 14 for readily connecting the sections together.

As viewed in FIG. 2, the illustrated section 12 consists of a stainlesssteel exterior overlay cover 17 which forms the base for one surface ofa batt of insulation 18 which may consist of layers of stainless steelaluminum foil. An interior protective sheet 19 covers the other surfaceof the batt of insulation 18. The batt of insulation 18 is held betweenthe cover 17 and the interior protective sheet 19 by a restraining means20 which consists of an elongated strip of metal 21 forming a connectorstrip which is readily attached to the inner surface of the overlaycover 17, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2.

The connector strip 21 provides a plurality of spaced apart flanges 22extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal length of the strip 21 andwhich are of a length equal to the thickness of the insulated batt 18.The free ends of each of the flanges 22 provide tabs 23 bent at rightangles to the flanges 22 into the condition where they extend parallelto the connector strip 21. The tabs 23 are adapted to embrace the innersurface of the batt of insulation 18 while being readily attached to theinner surface of the interior protective sheet 19 in the manner shown indotted lines in FIG. 2.

By this arrangement, the overlay cover 17 is spaced from the interiorprotective sheet 19 by means 20 which also provides restraining meansfor the layers of aluminum foil which comprise the insulation batt 18.The interior protective sheet 19 is the component of the jacket whichwill be in close proximity to the heat transfer element, such as a pipe(not shown), and therefore any heat transferred through the protectivesheet 19 can only be through the tabs 23 and flanges 22. The connectorstrip 21 is spaced and insulated from the interior sheet 19 by theinsulation batt 18, as shown.

It should be noted that in the fabrication of each of the sections 11and 12 of the jacket 10, the insulation batt 18 is so positionedrelative to the cover 17 as to provide an exposed longitudinal edgeportion 24 and end portion 25 extending beyond the correspondinglongitudinal and end edges of the insulating batt 18. This constructionpermits the sections to be assembled into a complete jacket, one uponanother as shown in FIG. 1, as well as being disposed longitudinally ofeach other, with the exposed portions of the cover of each sectionoverlapping each other. The exposed longitudinal edge 24 and end portion25 permits the one section to be nested relative to a cooperatingsection, with a facial abutment of their insulating batts 18, as shownin FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a modified pipe jacket section 12' whichincludes all of the structure heretofore described and with such partsidentified by primed reference numerals, with the section 12' having anadditional construction which forms an encapsulated insulated pipejacket. In this instance, the exposed edges and ends of the insulationbatt 27 are covered by a foil wrap 28 which may be of aluminum orstainless steel, as desired.

In this modified form, the jacket section 12' not only provides aminimum of heat transfer between the exterior cover 17' and the interiorprotective sheet 19', but also affords a heat-reflective surface thatprevents heat transfer or escape through the edges of the insulationbatt 27.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:
 1. A prefabricated removable insulatedpipe jacket consisting of two mating semicircular longitudinal sectionswith each section comprisinga. a semicircular outer metallic cover, b. abatt of insulation material conforming to the configuration of saidcover and of a size less than said cover and positioned on the innersurface thereof exposing one end and edge of said cover, c. an interiorprotective sheet over the entire inner surface of said batt ofinsulation, d. .[.an elongated connector strip providing spaced flangemembers extending at right angles therefrom with said flanges beingequal in length to the thickness of said batt of insulation,.]. .[.e..].means .[.provided by said first-mentioned means for.]. .Iadd.embracingthe edges of said batt of insulation .Iaddend.connecting said cover tosaid interior protective sheet to either side of said batt of insulationwhile providing a minimum of heat transfer contact between said coverand said interior sheet, .Iadd. e. said means including an elongatedconnector strip providing spaced flange members extending at rightangles therefrom with said flanges being equal in length to thethickness of said batt of insulation, .Iaddend. f. said flange membersproviding tabs at the free ends thereof adapted to be connected to aconfronting surface of said protective sheet when said connector stripis connected to a confronting surface of said cover, g. and means forreleasably securing the exposed longitudinal edge of two mating sectionstogether to form a circular jacket for the pipe.
 2. A prefabricatedremovable insulated pipe jacket as defined by claim 1 wherein said meansfor releasably securing the sections together to form a circular jacketcomprise spring latch members carried adjacent the exposed longitudinaledge of said cover, with said latch member cooperating with a latchplate carried adjacent an underlying edge portion of a juxtapositionedmating section for securing the same together into said circular jacket.3. A prefabricated removable insulated pipe jacket as defined by claim 1further including a heat-resistant foil covering all of the edges ofsaid insulating batt as well as said means embracing said edges so as toencapsulate said insulating batt.